It’s hard to figure what day or time it is here on balmy Caribbean. But I do know that Santa is prepping to crowbar himself down the chimney. What will he bring to that special youngster in your life? Another idiotic toy that is broken in five minutes? Or some videogame featuring a busty virtual chick ripping the heart out of a street punk?

Hey, how about this as an option: get them a great book — of the world’s best children’s literature? You know, the kind of gift that will last (and influence!) a lifetime, and that needs no joystick or battery, and that kills no brain cells? We have a number of special offers for our acclaimed children’s titles, one of which is that when you buy one copy of Volume Two of The National Review Treasury of Classic Children’s Literature (an absolutely super book) you can get additional copies for half price — and we pay for (U.S. Postal) shipping, and we send along a FREE copy of L. Frank Baum’s classic Queen Zixi of Ix (bottoms up Daniel!). If your kids or grandkids don’t have these books, you’re shortchanging them something terrible. So get on the stick before Saint Nick is airborne — you can order these great books here. Merry Cruisemas!